Proposal for private school at former day care centre

A FORMER day care centre in Hinckley could be turned into a private school for children with special needs.

Bosses at specialist education provider the Witherslack Group want to turn the former Millfield Day Centre in Frederick Avenue into a school.

The Cumbria based company runs a series of private special schools, children’s homes and therapeutic learning centres around the country. They include Avon Park School in Rugby and Ashby House Children’s Home in Leicestershire along with others in Cumbria, Lancashire and Merseyside.

Schools run by Witherslack cater for children with conditions such as Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder, autism and social, emotional and health needs.

The organisation has applied to Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council for planning permission to create a multi use games area at the site as part of preparations to open the new school.

The two acre site was put up for sale by Leicestershire County Council last year with a guide price of £600,000. The site was marketed for housing development and outline planning permission for 23 homes was granted. But the housing development didn’t go ahead.

The Millfield Day Centre, dating back to the 1970s, was closed in 2013 when Leicestershire County Council declared it no longer fit for its purpose of caring for people with complex learning difficulties. The council said the centre couldn’t keep running without modernisation.

Services were transferred to other day care centres nearby and the building became a mess facility for a fleet of minibus drivers based at the site. Then the mess was moved and the building stood empty.